Assent
by webofdreams89
Summary: Picking up the pieces is a lot harder than anyone ever lets on. Akuroku.
1. Act 1: Homecoming

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**Summary: _He_ died, but Roxas ceased living. Sometimes it takes more than just time to get over the hardest thing you will ever have to face. Axel/Roxas, with some Sora/Riku and Demyx/Zexion Rated Mature due to heave topics such.**

**Author's Notes: Ah, so I finally got the first chapter of this story done!! Phew. It took me about a month to complete it and that's part of the reason it took me so long to get the next chapter of Razorblade Shine out. But don't worry, I won't be taking any break from that either. I'll just have to work twice as hard now!! I hope everyone enjoys it!**

**Update! I revised this chapter! Chapter 2 now up as well!**

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**Assent**

**Act 1: Homecoming**

**Scene 1: Wise**

—

He died the same way millions of people die each and every year. It wasn't any one in particular's fault, unless you count Fate who put together the cruel chain of events that followed him after he woke up that morning. No one's fault, no one to blame. After all, it was just an _accident._ Even the cops and paramedics said so as they stood around the gruesome scene of the accident, noses covered with sleeves as the smell of raw flesh and blood lingered in the air. The paramedics hadn't really even needed to show up; there had been no one to save, just a body to scrape up off the pavement.

Sure, there were people you _could_ blame, if you found the need to as I once had. The tired trucker who had been on the road for days without a decent nights sleep. The Wal-Mart that the trucker was delivering the shipments to. The doctor for prescribing _him_ medicine with side effects of drowsiness.

But the blame couldn't be isolated to one specific person. It was a tragedy, I know that now, an accident and nothing more. A tragedy that tore apart my entire world and nearly everything in it. If it had destroyed _everything_, I surely would not be here right now to tell you this story, to hopefully save even one person from one ounce of the pain I felt for so long and still do sometimes.

If, after hearing my story, a single person can learn to accept what I couldn't, then...well, I won't say that it will have made his death worth it, I could never say that, but it will have given it a purpose, a tiny, minuscule ray of shining good and hope in such a huge abyss of dark.

—

I used to think that God had a personal vendetta against me for some brutality I committed that I couldn't even remember. Before I met Axel, I used to drink all the time, so much so that I wouldn't remember a single thing the next morning, huge gaps in the banks of my memories. After I first heard about the accident, I thought that during those gaps in my memories that I must have been driving home and killed somebody in a car accident and drove off or raped some poor innocent little girl. In fact, I was so positive that I did something of the such that I turned myself in to the cops once. You should have seen the looks on their faces after I told them that I thought I committed a crime but didn't know what it was. When they asked my why I thought that, I told them exactly why I thought so: because God was punishing me by taking away the person I loved most in the world in such an atrocious way. That meant I _had_ to have committed a crime.

Luckily, Sora was there to save me, again, to pick me up off of the ground and carry me safely home. I really don't deserve someone like him for a brother, I really don't. He patiently explained to the police what had happened, how I was rejecting the truth and didn't even know what I was doing. They smiled sadly at me, not because I had just lost my boyfriend, but because of the enormous waste of time I was to them when they could have been watching the Patriots play the Steelers on the flat screen the department had just invested in for the break room. It's not like they had jobs to do or anything. No crime ever happened in Twilight Town.

It was much easier forgiving God for taking Axel away from me than it was to forgive myself for caring too much, not caring enough, for all of the things I should have told him that he seemed to know anyway. It is always far easier to forgive someone else than it is to forgive yourself. I'd been doing it all my life, forgiving the people who hurt me before I forgave myself for letting them hurt me, for not doing anything about it when it would have been so easy, simple even, to speak up. I could have saved myself and others so much pain, but I didn't. And all I had to do was speak.

—

_Two boys sat at the top of the stairs, the younger of the two crying in the arms of the older. "Shh," the blond one comforted his brother, ruffling the boy's hair affectionately. "It'll be okay, you'll see."_

_The younger boy sobbed harder. "I know you're l-lying Roxas! T-things are not okay! Why do they fight all the time? Aren't parents supposed to love each other?"_

_Roxas, the older boy, winced as a crash came from the downstairs, followed by a new wave of cursing and screaming and yelling. He clutched the younger boy, at a complete loss for words. He was only ten; he wasn't equipped to handle this. Trying his best to be a good older brother, he stood, pulling his brother up with him. "Let's go to sleep now, Sora. We have church in the morning."_

_Still crying softly, Sora let his brother lead him into the bedroom they shared. The two boys pulled on their pajamas and crawled into bed. The sounds of the scuffle downstairs were still to be heard, the yelling, the flying objects. _

_Looking over at Sora, who was desperately clutching his stuffed tiger, he crawled out of bed and walked over to the TV they shared. He forced a smile, holding up a few movies. "Which one do you want to watch? It's your pick this time."_

_"We're not supposed to watch movies before we go to bed. Dad says it is a needless waste of energy," Sora said quietly._

_"It's okay, Sora. Besides, I'll stay awake so I can turn it off if I think Dad is going to come upstairs, okay?"_

_"Okay," Sora said, brightening a little. "But it's your turn to pick the movie, remember?"_

_"Nope, I watched a movie while you went to the doctor for your check-up yesterday. So it's your turn to pick."_

_"Which movie did you watch?" Sora asked skeptically. _

_"101 Dalmatians," Roxas said quickly, a little too quickly. Even an eight year old Sora was able to pick up on it. But he let it go._

_"Okay, let's watch The Lion King. It's my favorite."_

_"I knew you were going to pick that one," Roxas said, again smiling for his younger brother's sake. He picked _The Lion King_ from the stack of movies and put it in the VCR. After fast-forwarding through the credits, he pushed the play button and crawled back into bed next to his brother._

_As the movie began, Sora looked over at his brother, who was sitting up, determined to stay awake so they wouldn't get into trouble for watching a movie after hours. "I'm glad you're my brother," he said, smiling up at Roxas. He was missing his two front teeth._

_"What?" Roxas said, his staying-awake concentration broken. _

_"I said that I'm glad that you're my brother. You always take care of me." Sora sat up to give Roxas a hug, his arms squeezing his brother tightly in an affectionate hug. Roxas winced, a shallow, pained breath escaping from his mouth. "What's the matter?" Sora asked, pulling away quickly._

_"I-it's nothing, Sora. I just hurt myself earlier, that's all."_

_"How?"_

_"I fell down the stairs." Again, the lie fell from the blonde's mouth, just a little too quickly for comfort. Even at the age of tent, he was capable of lying at the drop of hat, ready to deny, ready to misinform and exaggerate to hide the truth._

_"Let me see," Sora demanded, trying to pull the navy Optimus Prime t-shirt up so he could look at the wound._

_"No, Sora, there isn't anything to see. There isn't even a bruise." He tugged his shirt back down quickly before Sora could witness the large, fist-shaped bruise to his ribs._

_Pulling out his secret, irresistible weapon, Sora pouted, his blue eyes gazing up a Roxas pleadingly. "Please, Roxas, I just want to see."_

_Despite all denial, Roxas was a sucker for the secret weapon, often just giving in rather than having to endure Stage 2: Tears. "Okay, okay. You win."_

_"Yay!" Sora said, bouncing around a bit. Roxas pulled up his shirt just high enough for Sora so see the most recent bruise; no need for him so see the yellowing ones higher up. He leaned closer, examining the bruise. "Ew! That's gross, Roxas." He pulled his shirt back down, careful not to touch the bruise._

_"Yeah, well it's what happens when you fall down the stairs. So don't do it yourself."_

_Sora giggled. "Jeez, I thought I was the clumsy one. That's what Mom's always saying anyway. Clumsy, giggly Sora and serious, reliable Roxas."_

_Roxas smiled affectionately. "Mom says that_?" _The brunet nodded. Roxas liked being thought of as reliable. It meant he was doing his job as an older brother and doing it well._

_His smile was wiped from his face before he knew it, as his dad burst into the room, smacking him clean across the face. His dad glared down at him, eyes bloodshot from drinking or rage, it was hard to tell. There was also a strong possibility it was both_. _"I thought I told you that you aren't allowed to watch movies when you go to bed because you fall asleep right away and don't even get to see them anyway. When you start paying the electricity bill, I'll let you watch as many fucking movies as you want, but until then, you follow my rules. Got it?"_

_"Daddy, it was my fault. Roxas tried to stop me, but I put the movie in anyway_,_" Sora said, staring pleadingly up at his father._

_"That may be, Sora, but Roxas is still older than you and should know better by now."_

_Roxas knew what he had to do, how to get his father away as quickly as possible so he wouldn't turn on Sora too. He'd never let his dad lay a finger on his brother, not while he was there to stop him. As far as he could see, his dad never did hurt Sora and for that he was grateful. Sora never had the fear in his eyes when their dad walked into the room as he knew he did. Sora never cowered from the man as he did. "I'm sorry, Dad. You're right, I should have known better because I am the older brother."_

_"I'm glad you see things my way," their dad said, recoiling a bit. He turned off the TV and left without another word._

_"Are you okay, Roxas?" Sora asked as the door was roughly shut behind the man._

_"What are you talking about Sora? Dad just patted my cheek. It didn't hurt at all."_

_"But your face is all red," Sora protested._

_"Nah, it's just 'cause I was sitting with my hand pressed to my face before he came in the room."_

_He shook his head. "But I head a smack when he touched you."_

_Roxas, growing exasperated, snarled, "Sora, you don't know what you heard. You're only eight."_

_Pouting, Sora laid down and rolled away from his brother. If there was anything Sora hated in his usually good-natured way, it was being called little. Both the boys were short and kind of scrawny for their ages, but Sora took it to heart more that Roxas did. _

_Roxas got up, turned off the VCR that their father had missed and crawled back into bed with Sora, giving him a quick hug and whispering, "I'm sorry, Sora. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, it's just that sometimes there are things you don't understand when you are only a certain age."_

_Not one able to hold a grudge, Sora rolled over to face his brother. "Will I understand them when I'm ten too?" he asked eagerly. _

I hope not,_ Roxas thought. "Of course," he lied. "It's like Mom always says, 'With age comes wisdom.' Tomorrow you will be a little wiser than you are today because you'll be a little older."_

_Sora smiled happily. "Really? You get wiser every second? Because you're older every second, right?"_

_"Right," Roxas said, desperately hoping that Sora would never get any wiser lest his perfect, rose-tinted glasses be shattered. _

—

**Scene 2 : Hole**

"Hey Roxas," the nurse said cheerily as she walked into my room, a large vase filled with bright yellow flowers, daffodils, I think, in her hands. She set them next to my bed on the end table, turning the vase so the majority of the sunny little faces were toward me. "Your brothers called said that they were going to be here today, around lunch time or so.It will be nice to see them, don't you think?"

I remained silent, simply staring up at her, trying to frown as stonily as I could. She just didn't seem to be taking the hint that I didn't _want_ her in my room trying to make me feel better. Actually, I had no doubt that she knew perfectly well that I didn't want her in my room and was there anyway just to spite me. Tifa Lockhart was always my nurse when I'm in the hospital and she always tries her damnedest to make me miserable by trying to make me smile.

"So, how are you feeling today? Any pain?" she asked, pulling a thermometer from a drawer and sticking it in my ear. It beeped a moment later, and she pulled it out, jotting whatever numbers had appeared onto my chart. "No fever. That's good, right?"She smiled at me again, sickly sweet. "Pain?" she asked again.

"No," I said tersely. "Nothing new, anyway. Just the usual."

"Any vomiting overnight? How'd you sleep?"

"No to the first question, like shit to the second."

This didn't even seem to phase her, but then again, nothing ever did. "Okay, well we have to run a few tests now, going to take an x-ray and an ultrasound of your stomach."

"I'm not pregnant," I muttered, rolling my eyes at her stupidity.

"I know, but ultrasounds aren't just to see a baby in a mother's stomach. You can use them to see lots of things. Your stomach won't stop hurting, so we need to check it out."

"And the x-ray?" I asked.

"To cover our asses," she said with a wink. Great, she was trying to bond with me again. Under any other circumstances, Nurse Tifa Lockhart would never say the word 'ass' for any reason whatsoever.

"Well, do you want to walk there, or should I wheel you again?" she asked, standing with her hands on her hips and a smile on her face.

"Wheel me," I said, climbing out of bed. "I don't really feel like walking anywhere."

"Alrighty then," she said, pulling a wheel chair from the hallway and gesturing for me to sit in it. I acquiesced, closing my eyes as she wheeled me through the halls and to the elevator. I could feel the elevator moving up. After the doors opened, we proceeded, not stopping again until we reached our destination. The x-rays didn't take long to do as I contorted myself into various odd positions so the technician could take pictures of several different angles. Ten minutes later, we were in the elevator again, heading down this time. Once inside the "ultra-sound room," Tifa wheeled a strange looking contraption in, plugging it into the wall.

"Are you even authorized to do that?" I asked as I took off my hospital gown, standing there in only my boxers, arms crossed over my chest.

She took it in stride. "Sure am, Rox."

Rage pumped through my veins. Only one person was ever allowed to call me _Rox_, and he was gone. I had to restrain myself from the great urge to punch her right in the face. Fists clenched, I stared up at her and said, "Don't ever call me that. You're not authorized to."

"If you say so, kid," Tifa replied, motioning for me to lie down on the bed. I did and she grabbed a bottle, pouring a white substance. The chilliness of the substance cooled my rage.

"What is _that?"_ I asked.

"It's just lotion. I need to use it." She pulled something that looked like a stunted microphone from the contraption and began rubbing it in circular motion across my stomach. "Look," Tifa said, nodding at a screen to my left.

I looked over, seeing my insides for the first, and most likely last, time. After a few minutes of the rubbing (it was almost soothing in a way, not that I'd ever admit it), a grin broke across her face. "Ah, we have uncovered the mysterious, elusive ailment!"

"What is it? What's wrong with me this time?" I asked, expecting, hoping it was a cancerous tumor that had no hope of cure.

"You, kid, have a hole in your stomach. An ulcer, and pretty nasty one, too, by the looks of things. But don't worry, it won't kill ya." I sighed, disappointed.

After wiping the lotion off of my stomach, I put the gown back on and got into the chair once again. We rode the elevator back up to my floor and went back to my room. I got back into my bed, ready to just veg for the rest of the day, and tomorrow too. Oh, and then the next day, until I really did develop a huge tumor that would claim my life.

Before she left, Tifa grinned at me. "I'll talk to Doctor Gainsborough and she'll be in to see you later. Be nice to your brothers when they get here or I won't bring you any sea salt ice cream tonight. After tonight, you won't be able to eat anymore ice cream for a while because of your ulcer. See ya later, kid. Don't do anything I told you not to. Oh, by the way, your father wrote you another letter. I put it in the drawer with the rest of them. You really should read it this time, though, Roxas."

—

**Scene 3: Denied**

_"Sora, Roxas, can the two of you come down here for a moment? Your father and I need to talk to you about something," a pretty brunette woman called to her children._

_"What do you think it is?" Sora asked his older brother fearfully, blue eyes wide_ _as he clutched at his older brother's shirt. _

_"I don't know," Roxas said, not meeting he younger boy's eyes as he said it. But he had his suspicions. Either things were about to get a lot better or things were about to get a lot worse. He hadn't yet decided which. "We should go see what Mom and Dad have to say, though."_

_Sora nodded, trailing behind his brother as Roxas made his way out of the bedroom they shared and down the stairs. They found their parents sitting on opposite ends of the couch in the tiny living room. Their father looked passive, his hands resting on his knees with a certain bored ease, but their mother was obviously worried about something, her own hands twisting and turning nervously around her wedding band._

_"What's going on, Mommy?" Sora asked, sitting down next to her. She smiled gently down at her younger son, putting a tentative arm around him. Roxas sat between his father and brother, careful to leave a very acceptable distance between him and his dad, even though he knew the man wouldn't try anything with witnesses around. Last night had been a slip-up, a mistake made after arguing with his wife for hours and drinking too much. Either way, he knew his son would take care of it, clean up after his mess._

_"Well, you see Sora...Daddy and I aren't going to be...married to each other any longer," she said, voice apprehensive. _

_"Who are you going to be married to instead?" Sora asked, clearly confused as to what his mother meant. But Roxas knew, and he was glad. He knew that oftentimes, custody was awarded to the mother, just look at all his friends' families, and he was glad of it. He'd never have to see his dad again. _

_"No one, Sora, we're not going to be married to anyone anymore. Roxas, do you understand what I'm saying?"_

_"Yes, Mom, I understand," Roxas said, taking the lead. "Sora, Mom and Dad are getting a divorce."_

_"Divorce? What's that mean?"_

_"Just what she said, they aren't going to be married anymore. They aren't going to be living with each other anymore."_

_She smiled at her son, good old serious, reliable Roxas. "Right. Things are going to be a little hard for a while because Mommy and Daddy are going to have to go to court to determine who you boys are going to live with."_

_"S-so we're not going to be a family any more?" Sora asked, tears falling down his cheeks. _

_Roxas hugged his brother close to him, comforting him as best he could as he had the night before._

—

"Roxas!" a short, chocolate-haired boy squealed as he bounced into the room, startling me from my thoughtless reverie. It was Sora, my beloved brother, here to visit me. I stared at him passively as he jumped onto my bed.

"Don't, Sora!" a tall, silver-haired boy said as he strode into the room next. "Didn't you hear the doctor? He has a hole in his stomach.

"Riku, jumping on him isn't going to make his ulcer any bigger!" Sora said, hugging me.

"It isn't the hole in his stomach that's going to get bigger," a short, slate-haired boy said as he walked in after Riku, a taller blond with a haircut that equated to that of getting butchered by a lawnmower grasping his hand. I stared at their hands, my chest leaping with jealousy at the sight.

The blond saw my envious gaze, squeaked, and quickly let go of the other's hand.

"What do you mean, Zexion?" Sora asked quizzically. "What hole does he have that's going to get bigger?"

"Sora, please," the blond, Demyx, pleaded. "Just be quiet."

Sora's gaze fell helplessly upon me. He was a smart kid, but didn't always think the things he said through very well. And I was feeling vindictive, angry. This is the only excuse I have for saying the things I said next. "He's means the hole in my heart, Sora. The fact that I'm heart-broken. That fact that Axel is dead and I'm still fucking here."

My younger brother stared at me, horror-struck as his eyes unconsciously welled up. "I-I'm sorry, Roxas. I didn't mean anything I said. I'll just go now." He scrambled off the bed and ran for the door.

Riku glared at me as he followed my brother out.

"Roxas, that wasn't really necessary, was it?" Zexion asked quietly. "You know how he is. He loves you, he's just a little...naive."

I sighed, feeling a little inkling of guilt. That in itself was amazing; I rarely felt anything these days that wasn't associated with anger, depression, or self-destruction. "I know," I replied quietly. "Make sure he comes back in here before you guys leave."

"I'll go get him," Demyx said, following after Riku and Sora.

Left alone with Zexion, I knew by the look on his face that he was about to deliver news that I wasn't going to like. "Roxas, is the hospital really necessary this time?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You only have an ulcer, Roxas."

_"So?"_ I snarled. "I don't feel good. Ever."

"Do you only ever think of yourself? I found Mom crying in her room last night. I went in to her to try and comfort her and guess what I found out? Go on, just guess."

"You and I both know that I have no idea what you found out," I said, already worn out of the conversation.

"Well then let me tell you, Roxas. I found out that Mom's insurance quit paying your ever-increasing hospital bills. She's been denied, Roxas, and she's now paying for this out of her pocket. It this keeps up and she loses her insurance, Riku, Demyx, and I might have to go _back!"_

I broke out into a cold sweat. Mom paying for my bills with the measly money she had now. Them going back. It was my turn to be horror-struck. I wanted to punch my fist threw the wall, smash the nearest object into a million pieces and turn them into hundred dollar bills and give them all to my mom. She'd already been put through so much, and here I was, adding to the load. I couldn't let her keep paying and I couldn't let them get taken away from her. It would break her heart.

Solemnly, I nodded. "I'll gather my things."

—

**Scene 4: Mom**

"Sora?" I said as Riku glared at me from his spot outside of the door Sora had locked himself behind. "Sora, will you let me in?"

"No Roxas," he said through his tears. "You can't come in, Roxas. You're broken. I broke you, I let you down."

"Sora, please don't say things like that. It isn't anyone's fault I am the way I am, especially not yours. You're the only reason I'm still here, Sora. You and Riku and Demyx and Zexion and Mom. You guys are the only reason I haven't killed myself."

Sora started crying harder at my words. I hadn't meant that to happen, I wanted him to let me in so I could apologize properly and here I was, only making things worse. Just as I always do.

The stalls of the bathroom ran all the way to the floor, but only stood about six feet high. I formulated a plan, eager to redeem myself. "Sora, let me in or I'll climb the stall."

He mumbled something inaudible, something similar sounding to what he'd said before. "Riku, give me a boost will you?" He was angry at me for having upset Sora to begin with and I didn't blame him for it, but he helped me up anyway, basically picking me up like a sack of flour and hoisting me to the top of the stall. I leaned over the top of it, ready to swing my leg over.

I head Demyx chuckle from behind me. "I'm really glad you decided to wear boxers today. Otherwise your ass would be hanging right out of your evening gown." Did I ever mention that Demyx thought he was funny? Riku laughed, apparently thinking he was too.

"Watch out, Sora, I'm about to drop in." He looked up with disbelieving eyes, not thinking I'd actually do it, then jumping out of the way. I landed on my feet, stumbled and fell into the side of the bathroom stall. Sora steadied me and I turned to hug him.

We were now the same height, me having a few inches on him for years. His eyes were the same blue as mine, his face the same shape. People often asked if we were twins, identical except for the color of our hair and the fact that he gets more sun than I do, especially now. Despite how much we looked alike, our personalities were like night and day. He made friends easily, while I had few. His cheerful optimism was only countered by my disgruntled cynicism. A smile was always plastered on his face while I reserved mine for the people I thought worthy of them.

At least that's how we used to be.

He changed as I did, as we all did, after _his _death. It was hard to tell, but his cheerfulness now was only an act. His smiles were only ever real when mine were and that was a rarity. It seemed that he was trying to take away some of my pain through osmosis, hugging me whenever he saw an opportunity, trying to cheer me up whenever he could.

I didn't do anything for my own sake anymore, I did them for Sora's. A lot of the time, it seemed to be me comforting him, me reassuring him that thing will get better, that the pain, while it won't go away, will lessen.

"I'm sorry," I whispered as I hugged him back for all the ones he'd given me. "I didn't mean what I said."

"Yes you did," Sora softly, barely above a whisper. "Yes you did."

"No," I said quickly. "I really didn't. I say a lot of stupid thing now and that was one of them. I mean it when I say that you and mom and the rest of them are the reason I'm here. I mean that."

"Okay Roxas," Sora said with a sigh.

"Hey, guess what?" I said, leaning back so I could see his face, so like my own. "I get to leave the hospital today."

"What? But you're still sick."

"Nope! Well, I was never sick to begin with. I just have an ulcer. The doctor told me that I'd just have to take a couple of medications and go on a diet."

Sora cracked a smile. "You're skinny enough as it is."

"Not that kind of diet. No sweets, no pop, that sort of thing. Just healthy food."

"No sea salt ice cream?" he asked fearfully.

"No sea salt ice cream."

"Jeez, Roxas, I'm sorry." I could tell he meant it too.

"I know. Let's go back to my room and pack my things up."

"Mom will be excited to see you."

"I know," I replied softly, unlocking the door and following him out. "I know."

—

Check-out went a little less smoothly than I had anticipated. I had to state that fact that I was eighteen and they couldn't legally hold me before they let me finally go. The drive home was a short one, thank goodness for that. Small favors and such that the hospital was only a few blocks from our house. And it wasn't the fact that car was cramped (we put the three smallest in the back; Sora, Zexion, and me) that I was on edge, it was the quiet. Dead silence, in all actuality. Riku was still a bit peeved at me, along with Zexion, while Demyx was positive that I wasn't well enough to go home, which only cause Sora to think that I wasn't well enough to go home.

We pulled into the drive way, and got out of the car. This was the first time I'd seen home in over a week because I had been at the hospital while they ran test after test on me to figure out what was wrong; the headaches, the stomach pains, the shortness of breath and panic attacks. Probably a big waste of time now that I thought about it.

I followed everyone inside the house, looking around. Our home wasn't big, especially with five teenage boys and a woman living in it, but it was enough. And it was home. A far better home than mine with Dad had ever been.

When I first moved to Twilight Town and in with Mom when I was sixteen, I was surprised to discover that she had become a foster mother to three teenage boys. That was before Zexion had come to live with us, when it was just Mom, Sora, Riku, Demyx, me...and Axel. Zexion moved in with us about a year later, completing our little family.

Mom was sitting slumped in a reclining chair when I walked into the living room. She was sweaty and dirty looking, obviously having just gotten off her shift at the Twilight Town Plastics Factory. Her eyes were closed in exhaustion and her clothes were filthy. There was a grease smear on her left cheek.

Despite all this, she was still the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen in my life, inside and out. Her heart was as vast as the ocean, bringing several children she didn't even know into her home to raise as her own. Sora took after her in this regard. Her smile could warm any heart and her big brown eyes could tell if you were lying to her in an instant.

I leaned down and kissed her sweetly atop her sweaty head before turning to leave. "I love you, Mom."

"Roxas?" she called, waking up from her light slumber.

—

_The Judge walked into the room, taking the seat behind a table. The woman was sitting on one side with her lawyer while the man sat on the other with his. Two young_ _boys sat in between. The younger of the two boys appeared scared of the Judge, who was very tall, tan, and stony. He was the Honorable Judge Xemnas and he was to decide the fate of the two small boys that sat before him._

_The older boy looked a little pleased, as if everything was going his way for once in his short life time. He held the hand of his younger brother, giving it a reassuring squeeze.._

_The Judge cleared his throat before speaking. He began, "I have heard from both sides and have reached a decision and I think will suit both parties._

_"Ma'am, you plan to move to Twilight Town, correct?" he asked the woman._

_"I do. I grew up there and have already bought a house," the woman replied softly. The Judge nodded._

_"You, Sir, plan on staying here on Destiny Islands. Am I correct?"_

_"You are, Judge."_

_The Judge nodded again, appearing to have made up his mind definitively_. _"My ruling is to send one child with Mrs. Assent, while leaving one here with Mr. Assent. The only thing to decide now is which child will stay with which parent."_

_"B-but Judge Xemnas!" Mrs. Assent called out. "The boys should be kept together, they're so close... They're brothers and brothers should be stay together."_

_"I'm sorry, Ma'am, but for the time being I think that this would be the best option for all parties involved," the Judge said so the ashen-faced woman._

_"How will you decide who gets which kid?" Mr. Assent asked._

_"I don't know yet. Maybe–"_

_"Please, Sir," the elder of the two boys began. His mind was racing, things were _not_ going the way he had planned, not at all. However, he still had to do his duty as a big brother, he had to be the protector. _I can't let Dad hurt Sora. I will have to stay with him then,_ the boy though. Taking a deep breath, he added, "Please sir, I'd like to live with my dad if that's okay."_

_Both the woman and the younger boy let out sobs at the same time. Hurt dusted her pretty features, hurt and anguish. The little boy buried his face in his older brother's chest, beginning to sob uncontrollably. The father, however, simply looked surprised. _

_The Judge nodded once again, completely passive of the situation. "It is done."_

_A wretched sob came from the woman's throat._

—

"Roxas?" Mom called, wearily standing up. "I didn't know you'd be coming home today."

"Neither did I. They found out that I just have an ulcer."

"That's good. Well, not good that you have an ulcer, but good that it isn't anything more than that."

"I know what you mean, Mom," I said, smiling at her.

"Do you have any prescriptions for me to pick up?" she asked.

"Nope," I said, scrunching the paper in my hand. I had enough money in my bank account to pay for them myself.

She stepped forward, wrapping her arms around me and letting out a relieved sigh. "I'm so glad you're home, Roxas. So glad."

--


	2. Act 2: Namine

* * *

**Author's Notes: I apologize profusely for the looooong wait between chapters. I was having a lot of trouble with it, because it just wasn't flowing like that first. By the way, I combed through chapter one again and fixed even more mistakes! So hopefully it is just that little bit closer to perfection (perfection? HA! as if!). I've been having a bit of trouble with my other on-going story, Razorblade Shine, as well, but it is finally coming along to... Anyway, enough of my prattling...**

**Disclaimer: Me no own Kingdom Hearts, but me do own Axel and Roxas due to the sole fact that I kidnapped them. Mwah ha ha ha!! (not really).**

* * *

**Assent**

**Act 2: Namine**

**Scene 1: Baseball**

**--**

_Nearly a year had passed since Mr. and Mrs. Assent's divorce, Mr. Assent gaining full custody of Roxas and Mrs. Assent getting custody of the younger boy, Sora. It had been a long, drawn out year with more than a few bumps in the road. But that was to be expected, I suppose._

_Roxas came home from school to find his father standing there, impatiently thumping his foot on the ground and twirling his keys around his index finger. "I thought I told you to get home a little faster today_._"_

_"I did, Dad," the boy said, cringing, knowing what was coming. "It's such a long walk from school, though. I–"_

_"I don't really feel like listening to your excuses," the man said, grabbing the boy by the arm. "We have somewhere to go."_

_He practically dragged the boy to the garage, thrusting him into the car and slamming the door before getting in himself. He backed the car out of the driveway, purposely running over Roxas' skateboard that was accidentally left on the edge of the grass. _

_Roxas let out a silent wail of anguish, but said nothing. _

_"You have baseball practice today," the man barked when they pulled into the parking lot of a local park. _

_"Baseball practice?" Roxas asked. "But I don't play baseball."_

_"You do now, boy. I signed you up. You're such a pussy and need a little toughening up." He seemed to stare off a little, just imagining his son getting flattened by all the boys twice his size, grinning with an unmistakable glee._

_--_

_Roxas took to baseball about as well as a fish takes to being _out _of water. Practices were excruciatingly long as he continually made mistakes; dropping pop-flies right to him, striking out at every at bat, hitting the first baseman in the back of the head when he tried throwing the ball in. Needless to say, he didn't make a lot of friends on the team. Or, you know, any at all._

_By the time games came around, everyone on the team was groaning because the league had a rule that entitled every player at least three innings of play. Coach Highwind tried everything he could get away with to keep Roxas from embarrassing himself more than he already would (playing right field, batting last, that sort of thing). Truth be told, he felt bad for the kid, knowing that Roxas didn't want to play and lacked the talent for it. He'd known Roxas' dad in high school and had always thought him to be a real prick. Forcing Roxas to play when he clearly didn't want to only drove this fact deeper in the coach's mind._

_The coach was a compassionate sort of guy and had a major soft spot for kids. He didn't like the way Roxas' dad treated him, but didn't really see anything he could do about it. He'd always wanted a son, despite the fact that he loved his three daughters very much. It saddened him that none of them were really interested in sports, in playing them anyway. His youngest girl, Namine, however, never failed to show up at the games, enthusiastically bringing after-game treats for all the boys and making encouraging and colorful signs to hang in the dugout. _

_Namine also had a soft spot for the hapless boy, talking to him in the dugout when no one else would and sneaking him extra treats when no one was looking. The coach was proud of his daughter, knowing that she was probably one of the first friends Roxas had ever had. _

_Surprisingly enough, even with Roxas on the team, their team went all the way to the Destiny Islands Championship. It was about as prestigious as you could get for an eleven year old athlete. The game was going well, each team neck-and-neck for the title, until the very last inning. The first two boys of the Destiny Islands Aces, Coach Highwind's team, struck out on three pitches apiece. The bottom of the line-up came and it was Roxas' turn to bat. _

_Shaking like a leaf, Roxas closed his eyes and swung at the first pitch that came to him. He nearly wet himself when he heard the _crack!_ as ball and bat connected. Dropping the bat, he ran to first base. And didn't stop. _

_In his excitement and naïveté, he simply kept running, getting tagged out between second and third by the short stop. No one could deny that it was a great hit, an amazing one if you heeded who it was from. But nonetheless, he was tagged out and the Aces had lost the game. Roxas' dad had simply looked at his son with disgust and left, leaving his elder son in the ballpark. _

_Coach Highwind didn't blame Roxas in the slightest. Sure, he wanted to win, but he knew it wasn't Roxas' fault. They were a team and it took more than one person to lose a game. _

_The other boys on the team, however, failed to see it that way. Three of the biggest and strongest eleven year olds cornered him behind the concession stand not too long afterwards._

"_You lost us the game, you little bitch!" one of the boys said to him before punching the smaller boy in the stomach. Roxas recoiled into himself; he was used to pain and pretending there was none was the only way to not feel it._

_The other two boys began joining in, kicking and hitting him as he lay on the ground. Namine, hearing this, came running. It was true that she was only a tiny girl, smaller even than Roxas, but there was no way she was going to let anyone hurt her new best friend._

"_Stop!" she shrieked as she came running, trying to pull one of the boys away from Roxas. _

"_Feh, get your hands off me," the boy said, tossing her onto the ground next to her friend._

_Another spoke up. "Come on. Beating up these little kids isn't worth it. Let's just go." In truth, they were all a little scared of being on the receiving end of her father's wrath._

_Namine, barely bruised, turned to her friend as the boys left and lightly touched Roxas' face where it was beginning to redden and swell. "Are you okay, Roxas?" she asked, clearly concerned. _

_Woozy, Roxas nodded, trying to sit up, smiling gratefully at her. _

--

The first week back at home was, in a word, tough. When I wasn't feeling depressed, I was busy feeling like I truly didn't belong in the house any longer. Everyone seemed so happy, paired off and carefree. It was true that Sora and Demyx stilled winced in worry every time I so much as coughed or sneezed, but they at least had calmed down since the time at the hospital. It had taken a few days, but Zexion and Riku had eventually forgave my somewhat cruel conduct, knowing that this was not the way I usually behaved. I might have been a bit of miserable, angry bastard, but I tried not to be petty and couldn't stand to see those I love hurt. Especially because of me. They knew this.

Mom was ecstatic, though. It had been a very long time since I'd seen her that happy, smiling and humming cheerfully to herself as if (almost) everything was going alright for once. The night I got home, she cooked my favorite meal of lasagna and even bought a box of sea-salt ice cream for desert as a sort of farewell gift to sweets since I wasn't allowed to have any anymore until my ulcer cleared up.

And I tried, I seriously did, to make it seem as if I was alright. I knew that everyone else also knew that I still cried myself to sleep each night (paper-thin walls and such), but no one ever brought it up. I was grateful. Many nights, Sora would cross the floor of our small bedroom and sneak into bed with me, thinking me to be sleeping, and put a comforting arm around me. I was always still awake as I rarely slept any more, but greatly appreciated the gesture.

Every morning after I woke up from a fretful night's sleep (Sora sneaking back into his bed, lest I figure it out), I put on a hopeful mask, trying to convince the others that I was slowly, but surely getting over the accident. In my heart, I knew that I never really would, but I didn't want them to know that.

--

**Scene 2: Confession**

_It wasn't long before Roxas and Namine began middle school, continuing and strengthening their newfound friendship. In truth, she was still really the only friend he had, but because she was there for him, he didn't really want any more, not if it meant giving up what they had. _

_Destiny Islands Middle School didn't offer a plethora of classes like a big city school was more likely to, so the two ended up in practically all of the same classes, spending countless hours daily with each other. Not that either of them minded. _

_There, however, was one boy in their class that was even more alone than Roxas had been. His name was George and he was the token class nerd. Straight A's and a bright future ahead, many failed to appreciate his hidden brilliance. Namine and Roxas never failed to invite George to hang out with them or eat with them at lunch, but most of the time he declined, preferring the company of his laptop to that of actual human beings. _

_On one particular day as Roxas was walking out of the boy's bathroom, he spotted George talking to two boys a year ahead of them. George appeared frantic, distraught. Roxas, not knowing what to do, pretended to get a drink from the nearby drinking fountain to better eavesdrop._

"_I can't believe that you forgot to do my homework," one of the older boys said, grabbing George by the collar and shaking him a little._

"_I-I'm s-s-sorry!" George gasped frantically, becoming terrified._

_Rage pumped through Roxas' veins as he witnessed one of the boys smacking his classmate across the face, sending his glasses flying into the wall. He knew what it was like to be on the receiving end of a brute and it physically pained him to see it happening to someone else. He told himself that it was probably his own fault that his dad smacked him around, but he could hardly see why anyone would hurt such a kind-hearted person as George._

"_Why don't you leave him alone?" Roxas said, his voice low and even. The two older boys turned around and began laughing. Roxas realized they both outweighed him by a good thirty, forty pounds and had at least five inches on him in height._

_George, noticing that all attention was diverted from himself grabbed his glasses from the floor and, fled. _Some much for being kind-hearted_, Roxas thought, preparing for the worst._

"_Stupid seventh graders," one of the boys muttered, grabbing Roxas by the shoulder and tossed him into the wall like an overgrown rag doll. _

_His eyes fluttered open a few minutes later, landing on a familiar face looking intently down at him. He realized that his head was cradled in Namine's lap, an apprehensive crease between her brows. _

"_Hey, Nam," Roxas said groggily, wincing as he noticed the incessant throbbing from where head met wall._

"_You were helping someone again, weren't you?" she said rhetorically. She didn't need an answer. "Why can't you just let things go, Roxas? You can't save everyone, you know."_

"_I know," he said quietly, a hand to his forehead as he groaned. The hallway light was becoming too much for his eyes. "But I can try."_

_Namine closed her eyes and shook her head sadly. This scene was becoming far too habitual for her, and she hated it, hated the fact that Roxas always felt the need to stick his nose into other people's business. And he _always_ ended up getting hurt because of his small size, always. _

"_Oh, Roxas," she sighed, troubled, "you're heart really is too big for your own good, you know that right?" He laughed a little, the whimpering at the toll it took on his head. _

_But as she opened her eyes and stared down at the boy, brushing his hand away from his face to stare into his crisp, azure eyes and to lay a chaste kiss upon his forehead, she knew that she couldn't be more proud of him. And she knew she couldn't be more in love._

--

"I had a great idea at school today!" my younger brother said as he came practically bouncing in after school one day, Riku and Zexion trailing behind him, shaking their heads. Demyx had band practice after school and would be gone for at least another hour. It sounded a little selfish, but sometimes I wished Demyx would drop out of band and come straight home. He reminded me the most of _him, _though they shared few characteristics. When I hung out with Demyx, it took my mind off the fact that I missed _him_ so much.

For a majority of the day, I had been sitting in my mom's Lazy-Boy, staring listlessly at the screen, just thinking. "The Food Network, huh?" Riku asked with a smirk as he sat down on the couch, sprawling out. "I didn't think you were that gay."

Sora smacked him playfully. I looked at the screen, realizing for the first time that I had, in fact, been watching Sandra Lee teach us all how to make fruity mixed drinks and colorful placemats. Shrugging, I replied, "I haven't been paying attention."

"Clearly," Zexion said, snatching the remote from my hand and flipping it to the Discovery Channel.

Sora stood in front of me to regain my attention. "Don't you want to hear my idea, Roxas?" he asked, arms crossed and pouting.

I smiled slightly at my younger brother. "Of course, Sora."

"Well," he began, drawing the word out, "I was walking through the hall way today and noticed this." From the back pocket of his jeans, he pulled out a folded piece of paper, thrusting it into my hands.

Curious, I opened it, groaning as I gazed it over. I was announcing the annual Twilight Town Struggle match, calling everyone to either sign up or come and cheer on their favorite competitor.

"I think you should sign up, Roxas. You did so well last time," Sora said, gauging my reaction cautiously.

"Sora, I don't know—" I began.

He cut me off. "Don't. Don't say no yet. Just think about it, okay?"

"I'll think about, but—"

"Please." His one simple word had me biting back all complaint and excuse I could think of.

"Okay," I said with a sigh, "I'll _think_ about it."

"Good," he said with a bright smile, flopping onto my lap and making himself comfortable.

"Sora! I'm not a couch!" I complained, half-shoving him off. We both knew I wouldn't though.

"Of course you are," he said, poking me in the side.

"You can sit on me, if you want," Riku said slyly from his place on the couch.

"No!" I said. "You'll just grope him! Sora, you have to stay here so I can protect your virginity!"

For some reason, Zexion found this hysterical, probably more for the delicate shade of cherry Riku's face was becoming than for the actual statement. In return, I got a pillow thrown at me, smacking me right in the face. But it was worth it. Oh yeah, it was worth it.

--

"_Roxas," Namine said nervously one day as the two walked home from school. A fierce blush was forming on her face and Roxas couldn't understand why. "Roxas, there's something I need to tell you."_

_He raised an eyebrow. Namine _never_ acted nervous, at least while she was around him. They had always been completely comfortable around each other, in his opinion anyway. "What is it?" he asked. Her behavior was making him nervous. "Is everything alright? Did something happen?"_

"_Oh, it's nothing like that," she said quickly, giving a small, edgy laugh. "Nothing bad has happened. It's just something that I probably should have told you a while ago." _

_Nearly two years had passed since that day in the hallway when Namine realized her not-so-platonic feelings for her best friend. Now they were fifteen and smack-dab in the middle of their awkward teenage years._

"_Okay," he said, giving a sigh of vast relief. "You don't have to be nervous, Nam. You know you can tell me anything."_

"_I know," she said quickly, "it's just hard to put to words." She took another anxious deep breath before the words tumbled out of her mouth. "Roxas, I like you."_

_Frowning and more than a little confused, the boy replied, "I like you too. You're my best friend."_

_Shaking her head and wearing a pained expression, she alleged, "No, Roxas, not that kind of like. I like you like I would a _boyfriend._"_

"_Oh," he said. A moment later, the words sank in. "Oh! Y-you…what?"_

_Slowly but surely, Namine was losing her nerve. She knew that if she didn't ask right now, she probably never would. Living with the possibility of never knowing what could have been wasn't an option. She was perfectly aware of the fact that no matter what Roxas' response would be, it would change their relationship forever. He might say yes, and then they would be dating. Or he might shrug it off and pretend it never happened, or maybe he would simply avoid her. The prospect of the latter two hurt, but she knew she had to do this._

"_Roxas, will you go out with me?"_

_He was silent for a long time, practically an eternity. She didn't need to even look at him to know that the wheels in his head were turning round and round, trying to sort through everything she'd just said. _

She's my best friend, I can't believe she likes me,_ he thought. _But she's the only person I've got on a daily basis who I can talk to, who understands me. And she's always been

there for me, no matter what. I kind of _owe_ her. She puts up with all my excuses and quirks…

_He bowed his head in stricter concentration, eyeing the cracks in the sidewalk as they made their way to their respective houses. _I can do this for her, it's what she wants…

"_Okay," he said softly, giving her a small smile._

_Her eyes widened in surprise. "Are you serious, Roxas? You-you will?"_

_He nodded. "Of course," he murmured. "I said I would and I never go back on my word."_

_--_

_For once, Roxas was semi-content with his life. He had just come home from a visit to his mom and little brother in Twilight Town and he had a best friend, who was now actually his girlfriend. He enjoyed spending time with her, even if his feelings weren't exactly the same as hers were. And best of all, his dad had been distracted lately, in turn ignoring his son almost entirely. _

_But Roxas had come to believe that good things never lased forever, and he was right. One night while he and Namine were holding hands and watching a movie in his living room, his dad came storming in through the front door, slamming things around. Roxas didn't need further prompting to realize that his dad was in one of his moods, one of his rages._

_He turned to her and offered her a smile, trying his best to make it seem normal. "I think my dad is in a bad mood. You should probably go, Nam."_

_She appeared concerned, but nodded, standing up._

"_Dad!" Roxas called from the living room. "I'm going to walk Namine home!"_

"_Fuck if I care!" was the reply. "Just get your ass back here and don't take all day."_

_Namine's eyes widened. It was true that she didn't particularly _like_ Roxas' dad, but she had never seem (or heard) him so angry before. _

_The couple made it to Namine's house in roughly five minutes and stood talking on her front porch for a few minutes before he thoughtfully kissed her good-bye and headed back home. He was dreading having to go in the house but knew that if he delayed, it would only make his dad all the more irate. _

"_What the hell took you so long?" his dad asked as Roxas walked in the front door. He had been planning on just sneaking up to his room. _

"_She lives a few blocks away, Dad, I—"_

"_No excuses!" he screamed. "What the hell did I tell you about making so many God damned excuses. You're just like him!" Roxas had not the slightest clue as to whom he was supposedly like, and let it go. He could tell that his dad had been drinking, his breath reeking of alcohol._

"_I'm sorry, Dad," the blond replied._

"_Don't you sorry me, you little punk!"_

_Twenty minutes later, Roxas was walking to the Emergency room, insurance card clutched tightly in his good hand._

_--_

**Scene 3: Discovered**

"So, Roxas, Sora tells me that you're considering entering the Struggle again this year," Mom said over dinner, passing a bowl of mashed potatoes to Demyx.

I shot Sora a nasty look, knowing full well what he was doing, mentioning to Mom that I was thinking about entering the Struggle, as if it was _my_ idea. He knew perfectly well that I couldn't flat-out say no to Mom. At least he had the grace to look away guiltily.

"Maybe," I replied tersely. "I haven't really decided one way or the other yet. I just found out about it today."

She smiled kindly at me. "I think it would be a good idea, dear. You really need to get out to the house more, and it will give you a chance to meet some new people."

_Now_ I was getting frustrated. Damnit, I didn't understand why everyone else seemed to have trouble figuring out that I didn't _want_ to get out of the house more, nor did I want to meet new people.

So I stayed quiet.

I think Mom noticed the way I clammed up at the mere mention of it and decided to change the subject. Turning to Demyx, she asked, "So how was band practice?"

My foster brother beamed. He loved talking about music and would any chance he got. "It went great! We learned this new song that we're playing at the concert in a few weeks. I even get my own solo!"

"You didn't tell me you were getting a solo," Zexion said quietly from Demyx's other side. He had an uncharacteristically playful smile on his face.

"I didn't?" Demyx asked, frowning. "I thought I did!"

"You told everyone about it _but_ me."

"I'm sorry, Zexion," he said awkwardly, quickly busying himself with scooping a large blob of mashed potatoes onto his plate.

"Dem, I'm only teasing."

"Oh." Demyx smirked before jabbing Zexion in the ribs. "You're such a jerk!"

I watched the two of them, suddenly seething. I was jealous out of my mind, wanting back that sort of playful banter and repartee that only came with being in a relationship with someone.

But I really didn't want to explode at them like I had before so many times, instead just excusing myself.

"Roxas, you haven't even eaten anything," Mom said, alarmed.

Patting my stomach, I said, "It's just my stomach, it kind of hurts. Doctors said that was natural with ulcers. I'll get something later."

I walked to my room and lay down on my bed, pulling my mp3 player from my end table and turning it on. I searched for the loudest, most angry song I could find and promptly turned the volume all the way up, trying to drown out the world.

The door opened a few minutes later. Not bothering to open my eyes, I knew that it was Sora. Everyone else would have knocked. Well, maybe not Demyx…

I felt my bed sink down a bit as he sat beside me, taking one of my headphones and putting it into his own ear. Together, we sat there for the next few hours, just listening to music and soaking in the other's company.

--

_Three days had passed since Roxas' little trip to the emergency room. X-rays had been taken and it was discovered that he had a broken wrist and arm. He was careful to keep from wincing when a doctor or nurse had accidentally grazed one of his covered and unvoiced bruises. _

_The doctor that saw him was fairly familiar with the boy, this not being the first time Roxas had shown up there. "Another skateboarding injury?" the man asked with a smile. Numbly, Roxas nodded._

_They put his arm in blue plaster and let him go with a small bottle of pain killers and a prescription to get more. His dad got it filled without a word, leaving the bottle on the counter for his son to find. He took two and decided to pay Namine a visit. She had been worried since Roxas told her about his arm, telling him he should probably give up his stupid skateboard before he cracked his skull open. His prompt reply had been, "When hell freezes over." But he was medicated and she forgave him._

_By the time he knocked on her door, he was already high, both feeling less and more woozy. She admitted him with a smile. "Sorry about the clutter," she said as he stepped into the living room. Books and notes were littered over every inch of surface, save a small space on the couch, just big enough for one person to sit. "Dad's been studying. He has to re-new his pilot's license in a few days. But we can go into my room if you want."_

_Wordlessly, he nodded, following her into her room. Deftly, he wandered over to her desk and picked up her open sketch book, gazing at the picture in his hand._

"_I just started that one. I was working on it when you got here."_

"_It's really good," he said, slightly giggly. She smiled at him, taking it from his hands to admire her work._

_It was a picture of the two of them when they were younger, sitting the on swings at a park as they always used to. She'd used pastels on the picture, blending the bright colors together brilliantly._

"_I really like it."_

"_It's for your birthday next week. You weren't supposed to see it yet."_

_Nodding, he laid down on her bed, placing a hand over his head after kicking his shoes off._

"_Are you okay, Roxas?" she asked. He nodded, not telling the truth._

"_Okay." She knew that there was no point in pressuring him about it. If he was lying, there was no way for her to know. Sighing, she sat down beside him, taking his hand in hers. Looking down at her boyfriend, she said, "I just want you to know that I love you, Roxas."_

"_Love you too, Namine," Roxas said faintly, giving her hand a small squeeze._

"_I know, just not in the same way." He was silent. Glancing around her room, she turned to him again and said, "My dad and sisters aren't home." Drugged, Roxas failed to see what exactly she meant. Frowning, she prompted again, "Will you be my first, Roxas?"_

_At that, his eyes snapped open. "You want to…"_

"_Make love, yes."_

"_Oh," he said, unthinking. Without giving him much time to think, she leaned down and kissed him. He was still for a moment, before responding, burying his uncasted hand in her soft blond hair. The kiss grew quickly heated, far more aggressive than they usually were, lips, teeth and tongue coming together. _

_In his haze, Roxas didn't notice sitting up, nor the fact that Namine had pulled off his shirt and undid his pants. _

_--_

_It didn't last long. Afterwards, the two lay beside each other, breathless. He'd tried to be gentle but didn't have anyway of knowing._

"_Namine," he began, "I didn't hurt you, did I?" He didn't think he'd be able to stand it if he had._

_She shook her head, smiling softly at him. "Roxas, it hurts all girls on their first time. It felt really good after a minute."_

_He didn't seem too convinced, however. Sitting up, he buried his face in his hands._

"_Roxas," she said, trying to make him feel better. She knew of his insecurities. "I thought always felt better after having sex. Don't worry, it was good for me too."_

_He nodded, accepting that Namine was not one to lie, even if it was to make him feel better. "Okay," he replied. "I'm glad."_

_She laughed, tugging on his arm. "We should probably get dressed before my dad gets back though."_

_They stood, grabbing their strewn about clothes. After tugging her t-shirt over her head, Namine gazed at Roxas' chest and let out a gasp. "Roxas! Where did you get those bruises?" she asked, stepping closer to him._

_The color drained from the boy's face. Almost viciously, he jammed his own shirt over his head, but wasn't too successful because his arm was still very sore and very much in a cast. "There from when I fell on my skateboard," he said with a shrug, hoping that he appeared nonchalant._

"_That's not from falling," she said, stepping closer. Forcing his shirt back up, she placed her hand over a large bruise on his side. It was an identical fit, except for the fact that her hand was much smaller than the one that left the bruise. "Roxas, how did you get these?" _

_There were numerous other bruises littering his chest, fist-shaped, finger-shaped. She didn't know how she missed them before. But something dawned on her. "The other night, at your house, your dad was so angry. Did he do this to you?"_

_Roxas couldn't look her in the eye. He wouldn't confirm it, but he wouldn't lie to her either. He couldn't, not to Namine. _

_Her face became livid, eyes flashing and furious. "All the injuries you've had over the years, did your dad give them _all_ to you?"_

_Again, he was silent and condemning. "Oh Roxas," she said as her eyes filled with tears. Stepping closer to him, she wrapped her arms around him, trying to comfort them both. "How come you never said anything? Why didn't you tell me? I could have helped you." _

_He held her as her tears soaked his shirt. "I couldn't tell…" he said scarcely above a whisper. "I couldn't tell…"_

_Pulling away fiercely, she gazed up at him, determined. "We have to tell someone. We have to get you help. You don't deserve this, Roxas."_

_Stepping away from her and shaking his head slowly from side to side, he blanched. "You can't tell anyone, Namine. I have to protect Sora! Swear you won't tell anyone! Please, I have to protect him!"_

"_Roxas, what does your little brother have to do with this?" she asked, confused. She tried taking a step towards him, but he retreated further. Hurt filled her, but she let it go._

"_Please, Namine, you have to swear!" he said frantically._

"_You know I can't do that, Roxas," she said quietly. "I can't knowingly let you get hurt day after day. I can't believe I didn't put it together before now! I'm so stupid!"_

"_Please," he said begged softly. _

"_Roxas…" Namine tried to hug him again, but he was out the door before she could, leaving her standing there, stunned._

_She heard her dad come in the front door a moment later. He walked into her room, puzzled. "Why was Roxas running from here like his pants were on fire?" he asked, trying to make a joke. He always thought the boy was a little on the weird side, but he liked him immensely nevertheless. _

_He noticed the tears that still clung to his daughter's eyes. "Namine, what is it?"_

_She looked up at her dad, fresh tears filling her eyes. "I just found out that Roxas is being abused."_

--

**Scene 4: New Beginning**

I snuck out of my room around midnight, moderately sure that everyone else in the house was sleeping. Sora had been snoring in his bed for the past couple of hours.

Making my way slowly, I managed to only trip over one backpack and pair of sneakers, an incredible feat considering the fact that five teenage boys lived in the house. Making a pickle, pepperoni, and cream cheese sandwich and sneaking a Coke (I wasn't supposed to be consuming caffeinated beverages, by the way), I began heading to the back porch to sit and soak up the crisp night air when I heard something that distinctly resembled a sob.

Quietly traipsing in the general direction of the noise, my mom's room, I paused, listening hard. Muffled conversation was heard, along with a little more crying.

"It'll be alright, Mom, trust me. He'll get better, but it_ will_ take some time." Zexion said in a hushed, but comforting tone. My gut wrenched, tossing all ideas of eating my sandwich to the wind.

They were talking about me.

"I just don't know what to do. I'm his mother, it's my _job_ to know what to do," I heard my mom say, her voice thick was a despondent emotion. "It's like he's given up on living." A particularly sharp sob stole through the air, slicing me deeply. "It's like he's dead inside."

Honestly, I couldn't listen to anymore. I was nauseous over the fact that Mom was crying over me. I knew that my behavior had to be affecting the others, but I'd never given it much thought before now. Zexion was right, I was entirely selfish.

Sandwich and Coke abandoned, I lay in bed that night, dwelling on the past. Things I hadn't given much thought to in years poked through, old wounds re-opening. I'd never realized how much I'd hurt my mom over the years, simply even by volunteering to stay with Dad. And when she'd found out what he'd been doing and how long it had been going on, it nearly killed her… And now this.

I decided that doubling my efforts was the only option. I could at least make everyone think I was getting better, emend the situation. They deserved it. In my heart of hearts, though, I knew I would never really recover, not when the wound would forever remain open and raw.

--

By the next morning as the six of us sat down for breakfast, I had made up my mind. Tentatively, I drank a substantial gulp of o.j. to clear my throat before quickly glancing over at my mom. I could see that she'd put make-up on to cover the fact that her eyes were still the slightest touch puffy. I stole a glance at my younger brother to my right, who was preoccupied, seemingly shoving as much waffle into his mouth while still managing to function like a semi-normal person.

Clearing my throat with what was hopefully an attention-attaining cough, I said, "I decided to sign up for the Struggle."

Sora dropped his fork on the floor, spraying Demyx, who sat across from him, with a rather unpleasant shower of breakfast foods. "Ew, Sora, gross!" the blond said, jumping up and grabbing Zexion's napkin (his own was already thoroughly used) to swab himself clean of the chewed chow.

"Sorry," Sora said after a moment of chewing and swallowing. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he turned to stare at me, eyes wide. "You-you're seriously gonna do it, Roxas?" he asked, disbelieving.

I nodded, a small, surprisingly genuine smile on my face. From across the table I saw Zexion smiling at me knowingly before smirking over at Riku. "Twenty bucks, please," he said, his hand outstretched.

"Damnit," Riku cursed under his breath. "I thought for sure you'd never do it, Roxas."

A few hours later after Mom had gone to work and Riku, Sora, Zexion, and Demyx had all left for school, I grabbed the keys to the car Axel and I had shared while we were away at college and headed out the door. It had been a while since I'd driven the car, especially since I'd come to hate them for the simple fact that it was the way _he'd_ died. But this wasn't the car he'd been driving that night, it had been in the shop then.

Hayner Hamilton and I had quickly become friends after I moved to Twilight Town my sophomore year, hanging out nearly as much as Namine and I used to back on Destiny Islands. It was at his encouraging that I'd first participated in the junior division of the Struggle three years ago and, surprisingly enough, placed second, losing only to Hayner himself. He'd always been a good friend, completely understanding and never pushing me to talk about anything I didn't particularly want to talk about.

Knocking on his front door, his mom opened it a moment later, her face pleasantly surprised. "Roxas, it's so good to see you!" she said merrily. "We've missed you." She quickly hugged me before admitting me inside.

"It's good to see you too, Mrs. Hamilton," I replied.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop being so formal?" she said, waving it off.

"Mom?" I heard Hayner call out from the hallway, his footsteps coming closer. "Who's here?" He appeared a moment later, just as surprised as his mom, but quickly grinning at me. "Roxas! What the hell you doing here?" he asked, pulling me into a slack head-lock and giving me a noogie.

"Ah! Hayner, get the hell off!" I protested, fighting him off. His mother left without a word, still smiling contentedly. He continued to smirk at me for a moment, hands on hips, before asking, "So seriously, what's going on?"

"You wanna Struggle?" I asked, shoving the flier Sora had given me the day before into his hands. His eyes gazed it over quickly before again meeting mine, a smile only worthy of the Cheshire cat on his face.

* * *

**More Author's Notes: Bah, leave a review...or whatever.  
**

* * *


	3. Act 3: Struggle

**Author's Notes: I profusely apologize at the loooong stretch between chapters. I was having a lot of trouble with this story and think that I finally worked all of the kinks out of the outline. There will be approximately one more chapter after this and an epilogue.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own. You do not own. End of story.**

**---**

**Assent  
Act 3: Struggle  
Scene 1: Training**

---

Getting back into shape was, in a few words, a major pain in the ass.

A constant array of sore limbs, aching muscles, throbbing joints and tendons and ankles and knees. It was answer D, all of the above and then some. I could hardly change a channel with the remote without my wrist swelling up, without my elbow feeling as if it went through a grinder or four, without my shoulder feeling like it was dislocating itself.

And all of the training was intense. I was serious about it because it was the first thing in a long time that so perfectly took my mind off of everything. While I was pounding the pavement at the track, miles upon miles passing under my feet, I didn't have to think about anything other than forcing myself to go another lap, two, three.

All I had to focus on was pushing myself more and more and more, thriving mentally as my body burned, knowing all the while that I would soon be sleeping, where I could blissfully think about absolutely nothing and dream my dreams in a land where everything was possible, where people didn't die.

Hayner, of course, was also a bit out of shape but not nearly to the extent that I was. He had at least kept up with his weight lifting since our last Struggle, whereas I'd been lazing around since I first started college many months ago.

I began getting up every morning at the same time my brothers did for school, where they would drop me off at Hayner's house before heading off to Twilight Town High. Hayner and I would then begin a long jog across the entirety of the town, mp3 players pumping loud music into our ears, urging us onward, keeping us going when we wanted nothing more than to curl up on the sidewalk and pass out for a century or more.

After our half an hour break subsequent to jogging, we headed to the local gym where we would lift weights for an hour or so, though, admittedly, the majority of that slot of time we found ourselves horsing around, playing basketball and what not, but still exercising nevertheless. And after the weight-lifting, we participated in rather intense Struggle training, hand to hand combat, at a dojo owned by a reclusive man named Squall Leonhart. He never said very much, but you could practically see the wheels turning in his head. He was a thinker, and despite this, an awesome teacher. I learned more about the Struggle from him in one lesson than I think I knew to begin with, my timing and accuracy improving daily.

After Struggle practice, we would crash. For hours.

For as excited as I now was about the upcoming event, I was happier still that I was regaining my friendship with Hayner. We had many months of catching up to do, though, admittedly, there wasn't all that much to tell on my part. He went in to detail on his relationship with Olette, another friend of mine from high school. They'd been dating for a while and, although I was a bit jealous of their happiness, I was happy for them because they both deserved it.

More often than not, Hayner could be found at my house after we woke up, or I at his house, and we would play hours upon hours of video games, wincing in pain but having a blast nonetheless. A lot of the time, Sora or Demyx, and occasionally Riku or Zexion, would join us, taking turns with the controllers as we whooped the living dog snot out of each other.

In many ways, it felt a lot like back in high school after I'd moved to Twilight Town to live with my mom; the same sense of that you were wanted and loved, the comfort of knowing that it was true. I never felt that very much back on Destiny Islands, except when I was around Namine, and even then, I couldn't love her the way she wanted me and needed me to so it sometimes felt rather empty.

But there was always something missing, a feeling in the pit of my stomach that told me my life wasn't complete. I _knew _ that my life wasn't complete, not anymore, but I tried not to dwell on the feeling too much because it would simply make all the memories come flooding back and I would be no farther in my emotional recovery than I was before.

But despite the rockiness of the business, the shaky progress I was making, I felt empty and tried my hardest to cover it with a smile. And I think I had them all fooled too, with the exception of Zexion, who was shrewd and always knew more than he was letting on. Sora seemed to simply _glow_ because I didn't act upset any more and Demyx and Mom and Riku, they smiled in my presence, didn't feel as if they were committing a crime just doing so. I couldn't take that away from them, not when they'd already lost so much. So I pretended to be healing, pretended to be coping.

For the most part, it worked. I had nearly convinced myself into believing that everything was alright with my life, that things would get better.

Something, however, did change after the Struggle, something that I wasn't quite ready for but needed nonetheless.

---

_A phone rings, interrupting a teenage boy watching a movie. Frowning at the phone, the boy pauses it, running a quick hand through unruly brown hair, and answers the phone. "Hello?" he asks, his voice cheerful despite the interruption._

"_Hi," a female voice replies, "may I please speak with Mrs. Assent?"_

"_Sure," the boy answers, "just hang on a second, kay?"_

_He pulls the phone away from his ear, walking from the living room and down the hall to his mom's bedroom. On the way, he passes an older blond boy who appears to have lost one of his shoes. Grinning at the other boy, the younger knocks on the door to his mother's bedroom._

"_Yes?" a voice calls out a moment later._

"_Telephone," the boy answers, smiling at his mom._

"_Okay, come on in." _

_The boy's mother is sitting on her bed, leaning against the headboard, a book in her lap. It is one of her rare moments of relaxation and the boy is a little upset that it has been interrupted by a phone call. _

_He hands the phone to his mother, who smiles at him, uttering a quick, "Thanks, Sora," before putting the phone to her ear. "Hello? This is Mrs. Assent."_

"_Hello, Mrs. Assent, this is Paige Bradley of Destiny Islands Children's Services. I'm calling about your son, Roxas."_

"_Roxas?" she says quickly. Sora tenses at the mention of his big brother. "Has something happened?"_

"_Roxas has been placed temporarily in foster care until you can come get him. Y-"_

"_Wait a second," Mrs. Assent interrupts. "Just what is going on?"_

_The women on the other line sighs before continuing on. "Your ex-husband has been arrested on the charges of child endangerment, neglect, and abuse."_

"_What?" Mrs. Assent gasps, clutching the phone tightly in her hand._

"_It appears that your ex-husband has been abusing Roxas for quite some time now. When we questioned him, Roxas admitted that it had been going on since before you and your husband divorced. He says that is the reason he agreed to stay with his father, because he didn't want his brother to have to suffer the same abuse."_

"_Mom?" Sora asks, stepping forward as he watches tears slid down his mother's face. "Mom, what's going on? Is Roxas okay?"_

_Rubbing her temples with one hand, Mrs. Assent wipes the tears from her face and says into the phone, "I'll be there just as soon as I can. I'm leaving tonight."_

---

**Scene 2: Perplex**

_Mrs. Assent can be seen walking up the sidewalk with her son, her arm securely around his shoulders as if he was about to bolt. The boy isn't smiling, but doesn't appear to be frowning either, indifferent to the situation perhaps._

"_We rearranged rooms a little bit," she says to her son, a timid smile on her face. "You'll be staying with Sora. They said your things will be arriving soon, but until then, I'm sure the boys will be more than happy to share with you."_

_Mutely, Roxas nods. His mother opens the front door, and immediately a small body flings itself at Roxas. Spiky brown hair jabs Roxas in the eye as he wraps his arms around his younger brother. He can feel tears falling onto his shirt from his brother's blue eyes and it makes him hurt._

"_Careful Sora!" their mom says, gasping. "You're brother's still injured!"_

_Sora's body shakes all the more as his crying increases. "W-why didn't y-you t-t-tell me, Roxas?" Sora sobs. "I-I could h-have helped you!"_

"_Sora," Roxas says quietly, taking his brother by the shoulders and holding him at arms length. "Sora, there was nothing you could have done for me." Smiling slightly, Roxas goes on, "but it makes me happy to know that you would have tried. Come on, let's go inside. It's been a long time since I've seen everyone."_

_Sora scrubs tears from his eyes and nods, smiling up at his brother. "You haven't met Axel yet, have you?"_

"_Nope," Roxas answers, "Let's go inside so I can meet Axel, and see Demyx and Riku again too."_

"_Okay," Sora says, wrapping an arm around his older brother. He is sad that his brother was being hurt by their dad, but now he's just happy that Roxas this there now. For good._

---

Before I rightly knew it, the day of the Struggle had arrived with a bang of an entrance. I'd awoken with a splitting headache, popping a couple of Tylenol Migraine and washing it down with a glass of cold water. Sora had come bouncing into my room at eight o'clock on the dot, excited for the days events and confident that I was going, and I quote, _kick so mucho grande ass._

But seeing the grin on my younger brother's face, the genuine smile that spread from ear to ear, I couldn't help but feel excited as well. It was contagious, Sora's brand of sheer happiness, and I was drowning in it.

I arrived at the breakfast table groggy and still in my shorts and plain white t-shirt. Zexion, Demyx, and Riku were all already gathered around the table, chatting merrily, happier than I had seen any of them in quite some time. But it very well could have been because, for once, my eyes were open to those around me and I wasn't focused solely one my own life.

Mom was wearing a smile as she placed a plate of bacon, scrambled eggs, and French toast in front of me. I saw that she had even put on one of her nice tops, light makeup on her face. I smiled at her, so happy because I hadn't seen my mother this effervescent in a long time.

"Eat up, Roxas," she said softly, grinning at me. "You'll need your strength for today."

"Yep!" Sora said. "You're going to win today, I can just feel it."

"You know what they say about counting your chickens before they hatch?" Riku asked Sora with a raised eyebrow. Turning to me, a grin broke out across his face as he added, "Well, I wouldn't worry about it if I were you, Roxas. Kick Seifer's ass today."

The six of us chatted amiably for a while as I nibbled at my breakfast, far too nervous to actually eat. It had been some time since I'd competed in a Struggle and I was nervous out of my mind. Hayner came barging in a little while later, my friend's Pence and Olette in tow.

"Okay," Hayner said as he walked in, either not noticing the way Zexion's eyebrow rose high on his face or choosing to ignore it. He slammed his fist on the table and, looking directly at me, said, "It's just you and me, Roxas, just like old times. One of us is going to win today and one of us will lose, that much I know. But it doesn't matter, just as long as one of us brings home the trophy to put in the Usual Spot!"

"Wow," Riku said, smiling wryly, "that's so encouraging. Really, brilliant speech."

Hayner obviously missed the sarcasm and grinned at Riku. I rolled my eyes, noting that things had almost returned to normal. Almost.

---

It had been decided beforehand that Hayner was to fight a real meathead named Rai and I was to have the pleasure of personally fighting Seifer. The two winners were to go on to the finals, the winner of that round having the opportunity to battle Twilight Town's reigning champ, a pompous guy named Setzer.

Hayner's match was to be first. It was close for a long time, but eventually, Hayner's superior brain power to Rai's brawn was Rai's downfall. Rai actually ended up knocking himself unconscious with his own Struggle bat. Even with so many people watching, no one is quite sure how he managed to achieve this feat. Personally, I thought he deserved some kind of award for possibly being the dumbest person to make it to the semi-finals of a Struggle in Twilight Town history.

My match against Seifer began and one thing became clear right away: Seifer had the superior strength (not that any nimrod couldn't have seen that just by looking at us), whereas I had the speed and agility. I did my best to dodge his parries and deflect most of his direct attacks with a dodge, but overall, I just had to keep moving, running around him and hitting him when I could, collecting points a couple of a time. It was a long fight, and I was nearly exhausted by the time it was over, but somehow, on someone's good graces, I managed to defeat Twilight Town's own bully.

The applause was thunderous in my ears as my chest heaved from exhaust, but I didn't pay this any attention. My eyes found Hayner and locked. We both knew it would come down to this, but neither of us were really all that ready for it, for the weight that came with battling one's best friend.

We faced off, briefly tapping our bats in a sign of friendship, before taking fighting positions. When the whistle blew, the battle had begun.

Hayner and I were by far more evenly matched than I was with Seifer. We were both agile, both quick, and neither of us had a lot of physical strength. He did have me in the height department, by a few inches or so, but it didn't matter so much. We were both tired from our previous fights and it showed.

Somehow, I managed to get the upper hand and the win from a quick roll, knocking him in the back. I could hear people cheering, could hear the announcer cheering my name, but things were growing fuzzy and my head began feeling too light to be attached.

I think Hayner noticed because I heard him scream my name, saying that I was growing too pale. I think he caught me before I hit the ground, but I wasn't sure because I was already unconscious.

---

_Two boys can be seen sitting on a porch swing, one with hair the color of a fire engine, the other with light hair the color of late summer wheat. There is a visible tenseness between them, further proven by the lack of conversation between the two. _

"_So," the redhead begins, "your mom really thinks that forcing us to spend time together will make us the best of friends."_

"_You've been living here longer than I have," Roxas snaps. "You should know better than I do."_

"_Hm, you could be right, Blondie. And who knows, she might even be right. Maybe we will learn to get along." Axel tosses the blond a suggestive grin, who mutters something inaudible that somehow sounds a lot like 'not if you were the last body one earth…'_

"_At any rate, this couldn't hurt," Axel continues. "See, I like you quite well. I think that you're a stand up old chum who-"_

_Roxas cuts him off. "Look, _Axel,_ we just have to pretend to get along so Mom will get off both of our backs, okay? So why don't we get out of here, go our separate ways and come back with a fantastic tale of just how much fun we had getting ice cream and watching a ballgame?"_

"_Sounds like a plan to me, Roxas. See, I knew you were a stand up kind of guy."_

_The two boys go inside to inform Mrs. Assent that they would be heading out to hang out. She appears beside herself with joy, smiling from ear to ear. Axel takes the car keys and soon enough, they are out of there. He drops Roxas off at his new friend Hayner's house, promising to be back for him in a few hours. _

_There is just one problem, though, and that is no one is home in Hayner's house. Roxas gets tired of sitting on the steps and decides to take a walk down the street. After picking up a few snacks and a bottle of Pepsi, he heads to the park across the street to sit and partake in eating. _

_While there, with not much else to do, he ponders his time here in Twilight Town, wondering exactly how he and Axel had come to dislike each other so much. The strange feelings Axel gave him seemed almost immediate, nearly the second Roxas moved back in with his mom. _

_Shrugging, he glances around the park, staring at the random families milling around, eating picnics in the grass, playing on the monkey bars, pumping chubby legs on the swings. He sees one small boy in particular, a little blond boy with large blue eyes. He appears to be upset by what his dad was telling to him. Roxas watches as the man raised his hand to the boy and he was over there in a second._

"_I wouldn't do that if I were you," Roxas says to the man. "I think you should just leave the little boy alone."_

_The man turns on him, sneering. "And I suppose you're up for Parent of the Year, ya goddamn punk!" Pulling his hand back again, the man hits Roxas square in the eye. He is unable to avoid it, or the next of many. _

_A yell fills the air, sounds like, "Leave him the fuck alone!"_

_The man, upon hearing this, roughly grabs his son and nearly drags him from the park, muttering about 'the goddamn youth of America.'_

_As Roxas falls too the ground, he hears a familiar voice shout his name. His head hits the concrete and he feels vaguely ill, but he is conscious. "Roxas! Roxas!"_

_Axel's face swims into view a moment later, concern filling emerald eyes. "What the hell was all that about, Roxas?" he asks._

"_He was going to hit his son," Roxas replies, slurring his words something awful. _

_Axel frowns, a line forming between his eyes. Without saying anything, Axel lifts Roxas' head up off the ground and gently sets it in his lap. He pulls his jacket off and wipes blood away from cuts and bloody teeth. _

"_Roxas," Axel begins, not quite looking at him, "Roxas, you can't save everyone, you know. Sometimes you just got to watch out for yourself. You can't save everyone."_

"_You sound just like her," Roxas says thickly. "You sound just like Namine."_

_Axel chuckles. "I seriously hope that you are not comparing me to your little girlfriend," he says, still laughing. "I can guarantee I'm nothing like her."_

_And at that, Roxas feels guilt consume him, guilt from how he treated Namine, who was only helping him. Guilt because he hadn't talked to her since that night at her house._

"_Maybe," Roxas says after a moment, "but being compared to her wouldn't be an insult. After Mom and Sora, she's the most decent person I know. And I've been such a prick to her when all she tried to do was help me."_

"_Hm," Axel replies noncommittally. "You could always make it up to her, though."_

"_How?" Roxas asks. "She's on Destiny Islands and I'm stuck here in Twilight Town."_

"_Well," I could always take you to see her, if, you know, calling or writing seems too complicated for you."_

"_It's not that, it's just that she deserves better than a phone call. She deserves a lot better than me." He's quiet for a moment before meeting Axel's eyes. "You would seriously take me to see her?"_

_Axel nods. "I would seriously take you to see her. It's not really so far. And besides, your Mom would love it. It would give us the perfect opportunity for us to _bond."

---

**Scene 3: Search**

The next time I open my eyes, I find myself, yet again, in a hospital. Same fluorescent lights, unchanged starchy hospital gown, familiar _too clean _smell. It takes a moment for me to adjust to the lighting and, when I do, I notice Namine looking expectantly at me.

"Hi," she says with a smile. "Welcome to the Waking World."

"Hi," I croak in response. "What happened?"

"Apparently, you were dehydrated and passed out. Also, you exert yourself physically too much lately training. And as for where your family is, I told them I would watch you while they go get something to eat. They should be back soon and will be happy to know that you're awake. They were worried."

The door to my room burst open then, Hayner stomping through. "Is he awake yet?" he demanded of Namine, not even looking over at me.

"Why yes, Hayner, I am, thanks for asking," I replied. He looks over at me then, a smile falling on his face.

"Thank _God_," he says, plopping down in a chair next to my bed. "I cannot believe you over-trained! Roxas, why didn't you say that the training was too much for you? We could have slowed down!"

"Yeah, but if we had, I wouldn't have won that, now would I?" I asked, pointing at the shiny new Struggle trophy that someone (no doubt the blond before me, Hayner that is) had placed there.

"Hmph!" he said, crossing his arms over his chest. He glanced at me again, his face serious this time. "But seriously, Roxas, don't scare us like that again! You should have seen how upset your mom was! And Sora! Every time you go to a hospital, he just gets so sad."

"I know," I said, feeling guilty.

After a while, after Hayner had announced that he had to use the bathroom, I asked Namine something I had been meaning to ask her for some time now.

"Actually, there's a favor I need," I rephrased.

"Anything, Roxas," she said with a smile on her face. I'd forgotten how pretty she looked when she smiled.

Clearing my throat, I replied, "I need you to find someone for me. Her name is Kairi Harrington."

"Okay," she said, "but just who is she?"

Taking a deep breath, bracing myself for my words, I said, "She was Axel's sister."

---

_It has been several days since the time Roxas we beaten up and Axel came to his rescue. It has been a few less since Axel drove Roxas all the way to Destiny Islands (taking a ferry the stretch of distance that is covered by water) and the two are now driving back home._

_Roxas turns to Axel, sees the way the setting sun hits his pale skin, alight his green eyes, and sets his red hair on fire. When he'd first met the older boy, he'd thought Axel was perhaps the strangest looking person he had ever met. But now, now Roxas had tossed that notion far out the window. _

_The strange fluttery feeling in his stomach told him that maybe, just maybe, he thought Axel was handsome. And when the redhead runs a hand distractedly through his long red hair, Roxas thinks him to be beautiful._

_He goes back to looking out the window, watching the miles of country pass before his eyes. He knows that he never felt like this around Namine, with whom he had been dating, with whom he had just broken it off with. _

_But comparing the two in Roxas' mind didn't seem right. He just feels wrong when he thinks of how delicate Namine's hands are, but it is Axel's hands, large and rough and calloused, that stand out in his mind. He recalls when Axel had cradled his bruised head in his arms after he'd gotten beaten up, recalls the way his heart unconsciously sped up, the way he had more trouble forming words because of this than because of a swollen jaw._

_Axel had shown him kindness though, had offered to drive him all the way to Destiny Islands to visit a girl he had never met. And this was all after Roxas had been nothing short of unkind to him._

_He wasn't sure why he'd been so adverse to Axel since the moment he met the older boy, hadn't a clue, but thought that maybe it had something to do with how he was feeling now. He didn't need a degree in psychology to know that he wasn't quite right in the head, that he had trouble trusting men, especially the ones he cared about._

_Roxas turns again to Axel then, a small smile still on his face his musings that quickly transforms into something serious. "Axel," he begins, "why exactly did you drive me all the way to Destiny Islands?"_

_Axel glances over at him quickly without smiling. "Why not?" he asks simply._

_They are silent for a time before Roxas turns back to Axel. "Can I ask you a question?"_

_Axel grins. "Would it be too clichéd for me to say that you already just asked me one?"_

_Roxas can't help but smile back before his face becomes serious again. "It…it's kind of personal, actually. I mean, you don't have to answer me if you don't want to, but-"_

"_Just ask your question, Roxas."_

_Roxas takes a deep breath. "How exactly did you end up with my mom? I know she's a foster mom and all, but how did you end up in foster care?"_

"_Well, that's a bit of a loaded question," Axel replies slowly._

"_You don't have to answer," Roxas quickly interjects._

"_No, I told you to ask your question and I intend on answering it._

"_I never really knew who my dad was," he began, fingers gripping the steering a little tighter, his knuckles turning white. "So it was just my mom, my sister Kairi, and me. We could have been happy, I suppose, but there was just one problem: my mom was addicted to coke and could never hold a job. I had to drop out of school when I was thirteen so I could work so Kairi and I could have a meal each night. Eventually, Social Services caught on and took us away. I don't know where my mom is now, and honestly, I don't really care. But Kairi and I got separated." He grew quiet then. After he takes a deep breath, he continues on. "I know she was adopted. I've tried finding out where she ended up, but apparently it was a closed adoption, so I can only see her again if she comes looking for me."_

"_I wish that had never happened to you, Axel," Roxas replies quietly, still looking at him._

"_No point in wishing that, Roxas. Neither of us can change it. But a few good things did come out of it. I now know what it's like to have a mom who cares about me. I have a family. Hell, I got to meet you." Axel grinned at him them, infectious, and Roxas grinned back._

"_That's true enough," Roxas agrees. "If my dad had never decided to beat the crap out of me, it's unlikely we'd be nothing more than acquaintances."_

"_Well, thank goodness he did."_

_They shared a laugh then._

---

My stay in the hospital this time didn't last longer than a few hours. They pumped me full of fluids and told me to take it easy for a week or so and dismissed me. Sora, like always, fussed over me, saying that I should probably stay in the hospital longer, but I was adamant to get home.

There was a small party waiting for me at home, Mom cooking up a very nice dinner for everyone. Sora, Demyx, Riku, and Zexion were all there waiting for me, along with Namine, Hayner, Olette, and Pence. It was nice hanging out with everyone for a while, but eventually, I grew exhausted, falling asleep at my end of the couch.

The next few days passed with little ado. While Sora, Dem, Zex, and Riku were at school for the day and Mom at work, Hayner came over and we played video games or just hung out. Sometimes, Pence and Olette came with his as well. I think Hayner was just glad to have his best friend back again.

I didn't seen Namine again until six days after the Struggle and my release from the hospital. When she did show up at my house, she wore a small smile upon her face.

"I think I found her," she said. "I think I found, Kairi."

---

Namine offered to go with me, but I declined. Meeting Kairi was something I needed to do on my own.

Namine told me that it took her a long time to find Kairi, digging through pages upon pages of people search, Googling it. Kairi wasn't all that common of a name, but eventually she found a small newspaper article from a nearby town of a girl who'd won an essay contest last year.

There was a picture attached to the article, black and white. As I gazed at her face, something within me told me that she was the girl I was looking for. There wasn't much of a resemblance between her and Axel, but there was something about the set of their eyes that held the same knowledge, that contained many shared experiences.

Less than two days later, after my week of rest was up, I borrowed Mom's car. She didn't ask any questions, but I knew she was a little worried.

Hollow Bastion wasn't far, perhaps forty minutes by car. I made it there in twenty-five.

I parked my car in the visitor's parking lot at Hollow Bastion High, crossing the street to sit on a bench and wait for the school day to end. I only waited roughly fifteen minutes when students began streaming from the building. I spotted her fairly quickly, walking alone.

At this point, I wasn't really sure what to do. I didn't want her thinking I was some crazed stalker out to harm her, but I knew that I would have to say something to her regardless.

"Um, excuse?" I said, walking next to her.

"Yes?" she asked, frowning curiously at me.

"Are you Kairi?" I asked. "Kairi Harrington?"

"I am," she replied. "Who are you? Have we met before?"

"Well, no we haven't, but there's something I'd like to talk to you about. Maybe inside that coffee shop?" I pointed to the Starbucks only a few shops ahead of us.

"Okay," she agreed, leading me inside. Once there, we ordered our drinks and took a table in the back. Silence consumed us and she delicately sipped her coffee, staring at me curiously.

"My name is Roxas Assent," I began. I started blabbing then, telling her everything that had happened to me, about my dad, about relocating in Twilight Town, about Axel. Except I never used his name.

She appeared sympathetic, telling me how sorry she was that so many terrible things had happened to me. I knew that she could tell I was leaving something out, but she never asked me of it.

At one point, she stole a look at her cell phone a gasped briefly. "I'm really sorry, Roxas, but I have to get home. My mom will be very worried if I don't show up soon."

"Okay," I reply, still flustered, still unable to bring myself to tell her my relationship with her brother.

"Can I have your phone number? So we can hang out sometime, talk again." I nod, handing her my phone. She quickly punches her number in, while I put my number in her phone. As she handed my phone back to me and accepted hers back as well, she stared at me long and hard. "You feel like someone I should know," she said slowly before saying a cheerful good-bye and leaving.

---

**A/U: Please leave a review!**

**webofdreams89**


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